Sexual Maturity: Function, Tasks, Role & Diseases

Humans reach sexual maturity in early puberty. Physically, boys and girls are then able to have children of their own. Sexual maturity focuses on physical maturity, but not mental maturity.

What is sexual maturity?

The achievement of sexual maturity manifests itself differently in boys and girls and is usually reached between the ages of 11 and 13. The achievement of sexual maturity expresses itself differently in boys and girls and is usually reached between the ages of 11 and 13. In some cases, it may occur earlier or later. In boys, sexual maturity is reached when the first ejaculation has occurred. This often occurs during sleep. In girls, the first menstrual period is crucial for reaching sexual maturity. After that, it can take months and years to reach a regular menstrual cycle, but girls are physically capable of having a child from then on. When they reach sexual maturity, boys and girls are only physically capable of reproducing; physical sexual maturity makes no statement whatsoever about mental maturity. Also, in most cases, the body of a girl who has just reached sexual maturity would not be able to carry a healthy child to term without medical assistance, and the young mother would not suffer.

Function and task

Sexual maturity occurs far too early for boys and girls in our current society, as becoming a parent is socially structured for a later date. Biologically, however, sexual maturity occurs just before the “right” time to reproduce. The younger a child’s parents, the less likely the child will also have congenital conditions. These accumulate as the mother and father get older. Therefore, it is biologically consistent that sexual maturity in humans occurs just before the best age for reproduction. In the boy, sexual maturity occurs quite unspectacularly, after which he is immediately capable of procreation. In girls, sexual maturity takes a somewhat longer time to develop. After menarche (the first menstruation), many girls need several months before a regular cycle develops. Although the risk of becoming pregnant is always very high in young girls, it also becomes predictable with the regular cycle. During this time, it is common to suffer from period pains. Sexual maturity is not exclusively related to human reproduction. As soon as boys and girls have basically become capable of procreation, their hormone balance changes permanently. Both begin to develop secondary sexual characteristics to a greater extent than before sexual maturity, but this process may also have been triggered shortly before. Girls develop recognizable female breasts and a female waist, as well as pubic and underarm hair; they may also be prone to blemished skin. The mucous membrane of the vagina becomes moister as a result of the white flow that now begins, making sexual intercourse possible. In boys, the penis and testicles continue to develop, body hair begins the growth process and it is not long before the first beard hairs appear. Testosterone levels increase and can have a lasting effect on a boy’s behavior.

Diseases and ailments

Reaching sexual maturity, with all its hormonal changes, is one of the biggest hurdles teens experience during puberty. For boys, the first ejaculation can be embarrassing – especially if it occurs repeatedly during sleep. Girls experience the first menstrual period and especially the following bleeding as unusual; period pains are a normal occurrence. These often only improve after years, but can be treated well with appropriate herbal remedies or chemical painkillers, among others. Exercises to open the pelvis and relax the internal muscles can also relieve the cramps well. A medical complication in girls is that the hymen is closed at the first menarche (sometimes it is still called the hymen, although few girls experience tearing due to defloration). In this case, menstrual blood could not drain and the hymen must be cut by the doctor. However, this is extremely rare because the hymen opens at an early age and is not a closed skin in the vaginal entrance. The hormonal changes can be severe.While girls usually have less difficulty with this but become more moody, the rising testosterone level in boys increases their potential for aggression. Although children also scuffle earlier, this can sometimes become problematic during puberty after boys reach sexual maturity. Due to the many hormonal developments before, during and after reaching sexual maturity, teenagers develop a variety of other minor problems, such as blemished skin or even acne. Depending on the severity, this can require treatment, but usually these quite normal effects of sexual maturity can be treated well with cosmetic items. There are usually no serious problems caused by sexual maturity. In rare cases, sexual maturity and thus puberty does not occur at all, too early or too late. Due to illnesses, puberty can be halted and sexual maturity is not reached or not completely reached. These cases must be monitored by a doctor so that hormonal treatment can be administered if necessary. However, these are often predictable complications that can be addressed in time to allow sexual maturity and puberty to occur as normally as possible.